One killed, one injured in McNairy crash; Student lied about having gun; Man shot in leg; Walk A Mile in a woman's shoes; IRS office closed

Officers with the Weakley County Sheriff's Department have made several recent arrests on drug-related charges.

On Aug. 28, investigators with the Sheriff's Department arrested and charged John William Miller, 59, of Martin, and Stacey Renee Clouse, 27, of Martin, with manufacturing marijuana and possession of methamphetamine, according to Investigator Randall McGowan.

Clouse(Photo: Submitted)

The arrests came after investigators found the pair in a car in a bean field off of Ralston Road.

McGowan said officers found marijuana plants growing nearby and a small amount of meth in the car, which belonged to Miller, police said.

On Monday, investigators executed two search warrants. The first was at 12379 U.S. 45 N. Lot 9, near Martin.

From that search, Cory Lee Bell, 33, of Martin, and Rachel Lynette Henry, 32, of Martin, were charged with possession of meth and initiation of meth manufacturing, McGowan said.

Bell(Photo: Submitted)

Henry(Photo: Submitted)

Bell is also charged with tampering with evidence after he allegedly attempted to destroy part of a meth cooking operation in the house.

The second search warrant, McGowan said, was served at 134 Mt. Pelia Road in Martin.

Sierra Morgan Bennett, 21, and Lijah Vantaze Hurst, 25, both of Martin, were charged with possession of marijuana with the intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia after the search uncovered two bags of marijuana, which weighed more than half an ounce.

Hurst(Photo: Submitted)

Bennett(Photo: Submitted)

Hurst was also charged with failure to appear on an outstanding warrant, McGowan said.

Madison County jail keeps certification

A day after he was sworn in, Madison County Sheriff John Mehr was in Nashville on Wednesday for a meeting with the Tennessee Corrections Institute regarding extending the certification of the Madison County Criminal Justice Complex as local officials try to reduce jail overcrowding.

Mehr said that as expected, the jail kept its certification.

Along with Mehr, Madison County Mayor Jimmy Harris and Capt. Tom Rudder, who is over the jail, were at the meeting.

Mehr said the TCI board approved the county's correction plan and that it was "well received."

A newly formed county committee will begin meeting soon to move forward with steps to address the crowding issue.

One killed, one injured in McNairy County crash

An Adamsville woman was killed and a Pinson man was injured Wednesday morning in a two-vehicle crash in McNairy County, according to a Tennessee Highway Patrol report.

Johnna S. Chappell, 30, died in the crash on U.S. 64 about two miles east of Selmer.

David G. Russom, 49, was injured.

According to the THP report, Russom was driving a tractor-trailer westbound on 64, and Chappell was driving an SUV eastbound. Chappell's SUV crossed into the emergency lane and hit the guardrail, the report said. She then overcorrected, and the SUV crossed the median and into the westbound lanes. The SUV hit the side of the tractor-trailer, the THP said.

The report said Chappell was not wearing a seat belt.

The accident was reported shortly after 9 a.m.

East Elementary student lied about having a gun

An East Elementary School fifth-grader claimed that he had a gun in his backpack, but no gun was found, school officials said on Wednesday.

Other students in the classroom informed the teacher of the student's claim. After thoroughly searching the student's book bag, the teacher found that there was no gun, school officials said.

"The teacher handled the situation well," said Jackson-Madison County Schools Superintendent Verna Ruffin. "The teacher made certain she followed the correct protocol."

After determining there was no gun, the teacher was able to calm her class down.

The student who claimed to have a gun was removed from the classroom and from the school until further evaluation is complete, school officials said.

"We're notifying the parents of the class of what happened," Ruffin said.

Man shot in leg on Locust Lane

A man was shot in the left leg Tuesday about 10 p.m., according to Lt. David Demoss of the Jackson Police Department.

The shooting happened on Locust Lane. The man was taken to the hospital by ambulance and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Demoss said the man told police he didn't know who shot him.

No arrests had been made Wednesday.

Walk A Mile in a woman's shoes to fight domestic violence in Jackson

An official launch party will be held tonight for the Walk A Mile Jackson event, which is planned for later this fall.

Walk a Mile Jackson is an event challenging the men of our community to show their commitment to ending violence against women by walking a mile in a woman's shoes, according to a news release.

The launch party will begin at 6 p.m. today at Miss Ollie's, 111 E. Lafayette St. in downtown Jackson. The party is called the Shoe Challenge, and those who attend will be able to challenge others to commit to walking a mile in women's shoes.

The party also will highlight the walk and the other events leading up to the walk.

The event is sponsored by the Wo/Men's Resource and Rape Assistance Program. For more information visit the website at wraptn.org/walk.html

IRS office in Jackson closed today

The Internal Revenue Service announced that the IRS office in Jackson will be closed today due to building ventilation problems.

The office is normally open weekdays, except federal holidays, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Taxpayers in the Jackson area who need help with federal tax issues today can visit www.irs.gov or can call the IRS toll-free at 1-800-829-1040.

Before visiting an IRS office, it's always a good idea to check www.irs.gov for the latest information about office hours and the services provided, according to a news release.